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US Presidential Debate: Ten Things We Learned

Hillary Clinton faced Donald Trump for their final televised showdown and as always with those two, it got sparky. Here's what we found out.

1. Donald Trump Refuses To Accept (Potential) Defeat

In one of the most remarkable moments of all three debates, Donald Trump continued to claim the election result might be rigged. "I'll look at [the result] at the time," he told moderator Chris Wallace. "I will keep you in suspense." Hillary Clinton's reaction to those comments? "Horrifying."

2. The Candidates' Families Did NOT Shake Hands

...breaking with tradition. The reason why? Reportedly the Clinton campaign was worried that Trump and his team would "pull a stunt" and so requested that the handshakes be scrapped.

3. TrumpTV Could Be On The Way

Ahead of the debate, Trump's team essentially created their own TV channel with a preview of the debate. It was political broadcasting Trump-style: big opinions and lots of favourable things said about the tycoon. It's reported that Trump's son-in-law has already looked into whether a Donald TV station might be a viable option. Could this be what The Donald does after his bid for the White House?

4. Donald Trump Would Be A Pro-Life President

The first proper clash of the debate came with discussion of abortion legislation. Using very emotive language about "ripping the baby out of the womb of the mother", Donald Trump went after Hillary Clinton's pro-choice stance. But as some commentators noted, the exchange gave Hillary a chance to lock down her support amongst female voters:

Clinton was asked about open borders in relation to a speech she gave to a Brazilian bank - a speech that we now know she was paid handsomely for, thanks to Wikileaks. Hillary used the question as a chance to point the finger at Russia for hacking attacks on the US, saying that Vladimir Putin was directly responsible for the attacks.

6. The Moderator Was No "Potted Plant"

Chris Wallace of Fox News drew almost immediate praise for how he handled the debate, which started with the most serious policy discussion seen in any of the three events. And when Trump continued to interject? Wallace was quick to let him know.

"Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Nobody." After the weeks of allegations that have dogged Trump in relation to his treatment of women, this one was bound to spark some audience reaction. It did: sporadic laughter from several members of the public - quickly quietened by Chris Wallace (see above).

Although Trump won some praise, US political commentators afterwards were praising it as one of Hillary's strongest debate performances ever. Trump lashing out and calling Clinton a "nasty women" in the closing moments sealed the deal for many.

Do you agree?

Hillary still shaking hands. Trump already left the building. Tells you everything you need to know.